Fuel gel

ABSTRACT

The invention is a fuel medium. The medium is in a gel state and consists entirely of material from vegetable matter in combination with alcohol, primarily ethanol, although other low carbon alcohol may be used in combination with some water. This blend is made into a gel by the addition of Methyl Hydroxyl Propyl Cellulose (MHPC). When spilled, the gel is biodegradable and not harmful to the environment. During combustion the gel is smokeless, without soot, devoid of noxious gas emissions, non-carcinogenic and non-corrosive. The gel form makes for ease of packaging, as fuel for suitable cooking and barbeque/fire lighter units, and the reduction of ash makes for easy maintenance of these units. Ease of packaging makes the product easy to transport, thereby offering flexibility of use. The low cost of production, due to the efficacy of the MHPC, makes the present invention affordable to low-income earners.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims the benefit of priority frompending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/360,626, entitledFuel Gel, filed on Mar. 1, 2002, which is herein incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to cooking, and in particular to afuel medium in a gel state.

[0004] Portions of the disclosure of this patent document containmaterial that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright ownerhas no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patentdocument or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent andTrademark Office file or records, but otherwise reserves all rightswhatsoever.

[0005] 2. Background Art

[0006] There are some human needs that have to be fulfilled everyday forthe human to live and sustain a healthy life. Eating items classified asfood, both cooked and raw, is one such human need. Foods need some kindof fueling agent to increase the temperature to a level where any livingorganisms within the foods are killed and to eventually cook the foods.There are many areas in the world where even today electricity and solidor liquid fuels, some of the most conventional ways of cooking food, areunavailable, scarce, expensive, or, in themselves, inappropriate to use.We will explore these conventional ways of cooking food along with theirdrawbacks next.

[0007] Solid Fuels

[0008] Solid fuels, for example coal and wood, are generally readilyavailable and commonly used, particularly in the developing nations ofthe world. They form a natural source of fuel for cooking, and have beenin use for many centuries. They not only offer adequate heat forcooking, but are a good source of light as well. However, they do notoffer the flexibility often demanded in various applications, forexample in the military, in areas devoid of vegetation, or in areas thatare wet and damp. Igniting solid fuels is also often problematic, andonce combustion has begun, its control is not easy. Transportation andstorage is also of concern. Moreover, during combustion, one often hasto cope with smoke, soot, impartation of odors, and sometimes thealteration in the taste of the food being cooked. Solid fuels is usedboth indoors and outdoors, but often the site where cooking takes placeis neither portable, nor easily shifted.

[0009] Liquid Fuels

[0010] Liquid fuels, like paraffin (also called kerosene) issignificantly cleaner than solid fuels, and offer a whole range ofadvantages, which altogether makes for a preferred alternative. However,it too emits soot, noxious gases, and smell. It is relatively costly andcan pose serious health, fire, and environmental hazards when spilled.However, with paraffin, it is now possible to make use of portableheaters and cookers. For example, Primus stoves, which run on paraffin,are common kitchen gadgets in low-income dwellings in some developingnations.

[0011] Electricity

[0012] Electricity has only recently taken over solid and liquid fuelsas a viable food heating source. Using electricity to cook and heatfoods eliminates the emission of soot, smoke, noxious gases, and otherodors associated with solid and liquid fuels. However, producing,storing, and transporting electricity is not only an expensive utility,but since the production of electricity is conventionally tied withcascading waters, it cannot be produced by nations that do not haveperennial cascading rivers or the means to dam such natural resources.Even a nation like Canada that has the natural and almost perennialresource as the Niagara Falls charges its citizens staying in provincesoutside Ontario much more than the ones who live within the province ofOntario because storage and transportation of electricity is sometimesmore expensive than its production.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The embodiments of the present invention provide a fuel medium.According to one embodiment of the present invention, since this mediumis a gel, prior art fuel spillage hazards are eliminated. According toanother embodiment of the present invention, the fuel gel comprisesentirely of material from vegetable matter in combination with alcohol,primarily ethanol, although other low carbon alcohol may be used incombination with some water. This blend is made into a gel by theaddition of Methyl Hydroxyl Propyl Cellulose (MHPC). According toanother embodiment of the present invention, it is easily biodegradablewhen spilled and is not harmful to the environment, and can hence beused both indoors and outdoors. According to another embodiment of thepresent invention, the present invention in itself does not needanything else to enhance its viscosity, but may be strengthened by theaddition of Fusel Oil, or, more specifically, Amyl alcohol, which is amajor constituent of Fusel Oil. According to another embodiment of thepresent invention, during combustion it is smokeless, without soot,devoid of noxious gas emissions, non-carcinogenic and non-corrosivehence eliminating the impartation of unpleasant odors to the food beingcooked.

[0014] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the gelform of the present invention makes for ease of packaging, as fuel forsuitable heating units that are portable, and as fuel for suitablebarbeque/fire lighter units. The reduction of ash and residue makes foreasy maintenance of the heating and lighter units. One major benefit ofthe ease of packaging makes the product easy to transport, therebyoffering flexibility of use, making even military use possible. The lowcost of production, due to the efficacy of the MHPC, makes the presentinvention affordable to the low-income earners, thereby providing apreferred alternative to prior art fuels. According to otherembodiments, the present invention has an enhanced ability to retainalcohol and to reduce its evaporation which increases the fuel's shelflife. The viscosity, once achieved, remains constant, stable, anduniform thus providing a steady burn. The burn rate and heat intensitycan be altered by increasing or decreasing the water content of thealcohol-water mixture prior to adding MHPC. Thickening of the gelincreases over time, as the MHPC dissolves, thereby improving ease ofpackaging. Since the right viscosity needed for cooking is achievedusing less than 5% MHPC, the production cost is reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with regard to the followingdescription, appended claims and accompanying drawings where:

[0016]FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an approach to increaseviscosity of the present invention.

[0017]FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating another approach to increasethe viscosity of the present invention.

[0018]FIG. 3 is a graphical representation of a comparative analysis ofthe viscosity achieved in the above two approaches.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The embodiments of the present invention provide a fuel medium.According to one embodiment of the present invention, this medium is abiodegradable gel. In the following description, numerous specificdetails are set forth to provide a more thorough description ofembodiments of the invention. It will be apparent, however, to oneskilled in the art, that the embodiments of the present invention may bepracticed without these specific details. In other instances, well knownfeatures have not been described in detail so as not to obscure theinvention.

[0020] The fuel gel is designed for use in cooking. However, other usescan conceivably be covered including heating or boiling of water,lighting, and heating applications in the cold season.

[0021] Alcohol (Ethanol) obtained from vegetable matter is the focalpoint in the present invention. Vegetable matter typically consists ofnot more than 95% ethanol in its purest form, the remainder of it beingwater. The alcohol-water blend is variable with water content rangingfrom a maximum of 30% by weight to a minimum of 5% by weight. This blendtype allows for miscibility as it involves a polar substance, thealcohol, in water. However, as the carbon content of the alcohol usedincreases, so too does the difficulty encountered in dissolution.Combustion properties of the alcohol in the final gel also variesprogressively with increase in carbon content. Therefore, lower carbonalcohol is preferred. It also remains apparent that the higher the watercontent of the gel formed, the lower will be the heat intensity and theslower the rate of combustion.

[0022] There are two approaches that can be followed in gel formationdepending on the desired nature and viscosity of the finished product.

[0023] In the first approach, MHPC is added to the mixture of alcoholgot from vegetable matter and water to a maximum of up to 5% by weight.The greater the quantity of MHPC added, the more viscous is the gelformed upon vigorous agitation, which results in the completedissolution of the MHPC. Agitation can vary depending upon the quantityof gel produced from mixing by hand, to using a wooden stick to mix theblend, to using a mixing apparatus similar to concrete mixing. Additionof MHPC to levels above 5% is not necessary and in fact results in theformation of a semi solid mass as opposed to the desired gel. Therefore,gel strength is already adequate at this stage. It is important to alsonote that there is no need to make adjustments to the pH of thealcohol-water blend in order to dissolve the MHPC. The MHPC is readilysoluble & dissolves completely without the additions of any acids,alkali or buffer solutions, and neither is there need for the elevationof temperatures to assist the process as it occurs at room temperature.The gel formed is thus ready for use & requires no salts to enhanceviscosity. The gel formed in this manner is significantly more stable,uniform, and requires 30% less cellulose to produce a gel of equalstrength (viscosity) as that of any prior art gel fuels.

[0024] This first approach is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1. At step100, alcohol from vegetable matter that consists of not more than 95%ethanol is mixed with 5% water at step 110. This blend is termed Ethanolat step 120. At step 130, MHPC is added to the Ethanol. At step 140, acheck is made to see if the mixture needs to be more viscous. If itdoes, then at step 150 more MHPC is added to the mixture before going tostep 160. If the mixture has the required viscosity, then at step 160agitation is induced to completely dissolve the MHPC in the mixture.

[0025] In the second approach, the procedure described above is followedin its entirety. However, the addition of Fusel Oil (a by-product of theproduction of ethanol from sugar cane processing) or amyl alcohol in itspurer form up to 5% by weight, further enhances gel strength, therebyfurther reducing the amount of cellulose (MHPC) required. This has theobvious production cost advantages, while further enhancing all theother advantages described thus far. It is important, however, that theaddition of Fusel Oil, is not an absolute requirement for production ofthe fuel gel. The fuel maintains all of its properties adequately evenwithout the addition of the Fusel Oil.

[0026] This second approach is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 2. At step200, alcohol from vegetable matter that consists of not more than 95%ethanol is mixed with 5% water at step 210. This blend is termed Ethanolat step 220. At step 230, Fusel Oil is added to the mixture. At step240, MHPC is added to the mixture. At step 250, a check is made to seeif the mixture needs to be more viscous. If it does, then at step 260more MHPC is added to the mixture before going to step 270. If themixture has the required viscosity, then at step 270 agitation isinduced to completely dissolve the MHPC and Fusel Oil in the mixture.

[0027] In both of the above two procedures, the viscosity of the gelincreases with time as dissolution of the MHPC approaches completion.The gel viscosity becomes constant after a period of 5 days. Refer tothe graphical illustration of FIG. 3 for a comparative analysis of theviscosity achieved in each instance. It is also important to note thatthe finer the granular form the MHPC is available in, the greater is itsrate of dissolution. It is apparent that the viscosity of the gelproduced in this manner is significantly greater than that produced byuse of Ethyl Hydroxyl Cellulose (EHC) as described in prior artinventions. The major difference being the incomplete dissolution of EHCcompared with the complete dissolution of MHPC in this invention.

[0028] It is also apparent that the present invention thereforeincorporates all the advantages of prior art similar inventions whereEHC is used. In fact, the present invention even goes beyond all priorart inventions with regards to advantages observed. Notably, as there isno need for any pH adjustments, no additives in the form of bases, acidsor buffers are required and neither are any inorganic salts required toenhance gel formation. Therefore, the gel formed is kept as natural aspossible while remaining bio-degradable and environmentally friendly.According to another embodiment of the present invention, the gel statemakes for ease in packaging and for use in portable cooking units andbarbeque/fire lighters.

[0029] Other embodiments of the present invention include thesignificantly enhanced ability to retain alcohol and to reduce itsevaporation, which increases the shelf life of the gel. The viscosity,once achieved, remains constant, stable and uniform, thus providingsteady burn properties. The burn rate and heat intensity can be alteredby increasing or decreasing the water content of the alcohol-water blendprior to addition of the MHPC. Thickening of the gel increases overtime, as the MHPC dissolves, thereby improving ease of packaging. LessMHPC is required to make the gel, therefore reducing production costs.

[0030] The MHPC used in the present fuel gel is available from HerculesInternational Ltd., and is more commonly known as CULMINAL MHPC 20 000S.While the grade of the product is specific, it is apparent that similarresults can be obtained by the use of cellulosics of the same basicchemistry in terms of molecular structure, physical properties andbehavior. The present invention and its description are not limited butrather cover all and any such obvious adaptations.

[0031] Thus, a fuel medium is described in conjunction with one or morespecific embodiments. The embodiments of the present invention aredefined by the following claims and their full scope of equivalents.

We claim:
 1. A fuel medium, comprising: a gel mixture of not more than95% ethanol by weight obtained from vegetable matter and at least 5%water by weight.
 2. The fuel medium of claim 1 wherein said gel mixtureis not more than 70% ethanol by weight obtained from vegetable matterand between 5% and 30% water by weight.
 3. The fuel medium of claim 1wherein said gel mixture further comprises of up to 5% MHPC by weight.4. The fuel medium of claim 3 wherein said gel mixture further comprisesof up to 5% amyl alcohol by weight.
 5. The fuel medium of claim 1, 2, 3,or 4 is obtained without the addition of any acids, without the additionof any alkali, without the addition of any buffer solutions, without achange in room temperature, or without a change in pH level of saidethanol, said amyl alcohol, said MHPC, or said water.
 6. The fuel mediumof claim 5 is biodegradable.
 7. The fuel medium of claim 5 has theability to retain alcohol.
 8. The fuel medium of claim 5 on combustionis smokeless, without soot, void of noxious gas emission,non-carcinogenic and non-corrosive.
 9. The fuel medium of claim 5 has aviscosity which is constant, stable, and uniform once formed giving asteady burn and steady heat intensity.
 10. The steady burn and steadyheat intensity of said fuel medium of claim 9 can be altered byincreasing or decreasing said water content of ethanol-water mixtureprior to the addition of said MHPC.